Letter-box.



PATENTED JAN. 28, 1908.

P. J. SGHIFFER.

LETTER BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.1907.

Witnesses THE NaRRls PETERS cm, WASHINGYON, D. c.

PETER J. SCI-IIFFER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

LETTE R-B OX.

Specification of Letters Pate'nt.

Patented Jan. 28, 1908.

Application filed June 3, 1907. erial No. 376.978.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER J. SGI-IIFFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Letter -Boxes, of which the ollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to letter boxes and particularly to that class thereof adapted for house use for the delivery of mail, and the object of the invention is. to provide a letter box having an indicator which will show when any mail is deposited, the indicator being improved with respect to the manner of its operation, and being so constructed that it will prevent the deposit of mail in the box until the indicator is moved to proper position to show such deposit.

The device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation. vertical section from front to rear. is a vertical section from side to side.

Referring specifically tothe drawings, 6 indicates a casing which may conveniently be made of sheet metal and which may be hung upon screws or nails by means of an upper key hole slot 7 in the back of the casing and a hole 8 below. The casing has a swinging door 9 in the front. v

Above the door the casing has a window 10, and above that a letter slot 11. Movable up and down within the casing, behind the window and slot referred to, is a plate 12 which has a button 13 extending through a vertical slot 14 in the front of the casing.

The plate 12 bears a sign Mail which is exposed through the window 10 when said plate is in its lower position. It is normally held in raised position by means of a rocking flame 15 which is pivoted at 16 to the sides of the casing. The frame consists-of front, rear and side bars, and the front bar is located or engages under an offset 17 at the top of the plate 12 and the rear bar is weighted as indicated at 18. The weight 18 is greater than the weight of the plate 12, so that nor mally said plate 12 is held in raised position, in which case its upper edge laps or closes the letter slot 11 so that letters can not be depos- Fig. 2 is a Fig. 3

ited. In order to deposit letters it is necessary that the button 13 be pressed down to bring the upper edge of the plate 12 below the slot 11, in which position letters can be inserted through the slot and, also, the sign Mail is exposed through the window 10.

- In order to hold said plate in said position it carries at its lower end a pivoted wire bail or latch 19 which is hung from lugs 20 on the back of the plate 12 and extends down in position to engage a beveled projection 21 on the rear of the door. Said projection is beveled on its upper side. When the plate 12 is pushed down the bail rides over the incline and engages under the projection, thereby holding the plate down, with the indicator exposed to show the householder that mail has been deposited. When the door is opened the projection is withdrawn from the bail or latch, thereby allowing the plate to lift to original or normal position.

Inasmuch as mail can not be deposited until the sliding plate is depressed and the indicator is exposed there is an assurance that mail will not be deposited without operating the indicator, thereby avoiding a defect incident to those indicating boxes in which the indicator is otherwise operated, and in which, therefore, there is a possibility of mail remaining several days in the box because of the failure of the carrier to set the indicator.

I claim:

1. A letter box having a slot and adoor, and an indicating slide movable across the slot to open or close the same and having a catch engageable with the door when it is closed, to hold the slide in open position with respect to the slot, the catch being released when the door is opened, and means to move and normally hold the slide in closed position.

2. A letter box having a slot, a door, and a window in the side thereof, an exteriorlyoperated slide movable up and down behind the slot and window and arranged to open and close the latter and having a sign visible through the window when slid down, and also having a catch engageable with the door when it is closed, to hold the slide in lower position, andmeans to raise the slide, to

close the slot, When the door is opened and close the slot, and door-released means to the catch disengaged. hold the slide in open position. 10

3. A letter box having a slot and a Window In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature,

in the side thereof, and a door, and an eXtein presence of tWo Witnesses.

riorly-operated slide movable behind the slot, PETER J. SCHIFFER.

to openand close the same and having a sign Witnesses: 1

visible through the Window when the slot is ELIZABETH J. PRICE,

open, means to normally move the slide to OORA E. HEMPEL. 

